How many tokens does an AI code review take?
A ai code review of a pr typically takes about 208,000 tokens to build with an AI coding agent (roughly 83,000–468,000 depending on complexity), about $0.5800 at today's GPT-4o prices ($0.2300–$1.31). This is the build-time (developer) cost, not the cost of running the finished feature.
Reviewing a pull request is largely a read: the agent ingests the diff and enough surrounding code to judge it, then writes findings. Output is small, so cost tracks how much context the review needs to be trustworthy.
Token & cost ranges
Cost uses GPT-4o at current prices. Verified 29 July 2026.
| Scenario | Input tokens | Output tokens | Total tokens | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (simple) | 80,000 | 3,000 | 83,000 | $0.2300 |
| Typical | 200,000 | 8,000 | 208,000 | $0.5800 |
| High (complex) | 450,000 | 18,000 | 468,000 | $1.31 |
Typical cost by model
The same typical token estimate priced across a few common coding models.
| Model | Typical cost | Range (low–high) |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-4o | $0.5800 | $0.2300 – $1.31 |
| GPT-4o mini | $0.0348 | $0.0138 – $0.0783 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $0.7200 | $0.2850 – $1.62 |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.0232 | $0.00920 – $0.0522 |
How we estimate this
An AI review reads the diff plus surrounding context and writes findings — mostly a single large-context pass with light follow-up. Input tokens dominate because an agent re-sends file context on every turn; output is the generated code, diffs and tests. Treat these as planning ranges, not a quote — your real usage depends on codebase size, model, prompt caching and how many iterations it takes.
Examples of this size
- Reviewing a medium PR for bugs and style
- Security pass over a changed module
- Suggesting tests for a diff
Estimate it with your own model
Plug in your model, complexity and prompt-caching to get a tailored range.
Frequently asked questions
How many tokens does a ai code review of a pr take to build with AI?+
A ai code review of a pr typically takes about 208,000 tokens to build with an AI coding agent (roughly 83,000–468,000 depending on complexity), about $0.5800 at today's GPT-4o prices ($0.2300–$1.31). This is the build-time (developer) cost, not the cost of running the finished feature.
Is this the cost to build it or to run it?+
This is the build-time (developer) cost — the tokens an AI coding agent burns while implementing the work. Running the finished feature is a separate, usually much smaller per-request cost.
Why is the range so wide?+
An AI review reads the diff plus surrounding context and writes findings — mostly a single large-context pass with light follow-up. Input tokens dominate because an agent re-sends file context on every turn; output is the generated code, diffs and tests. Treat these as planning ranges, not a quote — your real usage depends on codebase size, model, prompt caching and how many iterations it takes.
How can I lower the cost?+
Split large work into smaller pieces, enable prompt caching so re-sent context is billed at the cheaper cache-read rate, and use a cheaper model for routine steps. Try your own model in the Cost to build X estimator.